


A new journey

by CarolineKenway



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: All of those will happen eventually I promise!!, Angst, Both are virgins yeeee, Breeding, Cultural Differences, Dirty Talk, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Force Usage, Jedi mindtricks and all that jazz, Marriage, Romance, Size Kink, Slow Burn, Smut, Strangers to Eventual Lovers, Touch-Starved, Unsafe Sex, inspired by slavic culture, it's like fantasy meeting star wars, kind of, strict helmet policies, unfamiliar culture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:48:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25550836
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CarolineKenway/pseuds/CarolineKenway
Summary: Mando lands on a unfamiliar and seemingly undiscovered planet in hopes of reuniting with his covert. There he finds out that the place is not as beautiful and safe as it actually seems, but what matters to him the most is empire losing track of him and his foundling.
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	1. Fresh beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Hii! It's my first work so please bear with me, I'm not really experienced. English is not my first language so I apologize for any errors!

Ever since leaving Nevarro Din wasn't feeling really well. It's been two months already and he already knew that Moff Gideon wasn't really dead. Of course, the guild wasn't on hunt for him, but ex-imps sure were. Thus the mandalorian and his foundling made the difficult decision of settling down for a short while and searching for answers on his baby's origin from a more secure place. During those two months a lot has happened - some mandalorians from his old covert contacted him saying that they're rebuilding what was lost. They decided on founding a new home on some mysterious planet, yet Din's mind was filled with regrets for what happened last time he was in contact with his tribe. With pain in his chest he refused to be a part of the covert. That was until the armorer contacted him herself, sharing new information regarding his foundling. 

  
  
  


Razor Crest has landed on a green field, which seemed a rarity in a mountain-filled landscape surrounding him. He finally arrived at the planet described by the armorer, after a few long days of travel in hyperspace. Finding this planet was not easy - he couldn't find it on any map nor in holonet. Entering the area of hidden planet was difficult as well, having his shop malfunction constantly. A strange planet - completely forgotten, erased from scans or maybe not discovered? There was one thing for sure, the mandalorian wasn't planning to change any of that.

Din wanted to scan the area, but all his electronics decided to only show errors. In that case, he had to rely on his hunter skills, and they didn't dissapoint him! In distance he saw a very old fortress built of stone. His initial thought upon seeing the giant and seemingly abandoned building was _"_ _Oh don't tell me they decided to live in that!"_ but as he ventured closer to it, he tried convincing himself it wasn't that bad, or it could be worse at least. The child in his arms was wiggling and looking around in happiness and joy. Come to think of that, he probably hadn't seen this much greenery since their trip on Sorgan. 

  
  


"Hello? Djarin? Is that you?" the raspy voice from the wall above him shouted, as Din barely registered a flash of a familiar blue helmet. Soon after that, Paz Vizla accompanied by a few other mandalorians from the Nevarro covert stood in the gates, happily welcoming him into their new home.

"So uh, you've chosen quite a new place for a hideout." Din said happily, sitting down beside two other mandalorians and watching his little green child playing among other foundlings. Vizla shook his head and laughed. "Oh, don't even comment on that. Civilization on this planet doesn't even know what blasters are, and their people use some weird ancient weapons. Crazy, right?" He turned his visor to face Din, stretching his back. "We just moved in here couple days ago, after venturing this cursed land for two weeks." Saying this, he looked away, staring at someone sitting far away from them on thick stone wall. "That is, until, those people took us in here." Hearing that Din's heart started beating faster. "what do you mean those people? Who are they?" His tone was almost threatening, but he instantly shook it off and focused his visor on the dark silhouette. A small, armored woman with her back turned to them, looking at something far off in the distance. To his surprise she was wearing a helmet too, with a design very similar to theirs. "Those people that took you in… Are they mandalorians as well?" Paz nodded as Din's shoulders dropped in relief, yet the second mandalorian next to him, Nobert, spoke. "Don't let your guard down like this, Djarin. They're not exactly… like other mandalorian tribes. The only thing that we have in common with them are the strict helmet policies. They were living on this planet for a very long time undisturbed by any newcomers until we came over here." Din shrugged, being disturbed about what his old friend said, but Nobert continued. "I think… it's safe to say that they assimilated into their new environment." The woman turned her visor in their direction, almost as if she sensed they talked about her. That sent a wave of uneasiness through Din. "Do they speak galactic basic?" He asked, his focused vision still not leaving her. "Barely, but we try to teach them. They communicate in some old dialect of mando'a that is hard to understand, but mostly speak in their local common language that sounds like rastling and hissing." Vizla explained, vaguely gesticulating, especially at the rastling and hissing part.

A mysterious planet. A mysterious stronghold. Mysterious people. Din almost felt like he was dreaming, like none of this was real. He's never been on this kind of planet before - sure, he stumbled upon some little ones with barely any to none civilization, but this one was different. His thoughts were once again interrupted by Nobert, putting his hand on Din's shoulder. "I know how you might feel Djarin. We all were lost after we arrived here. Finding this planet was hard enough, but exploring it ourselves… It- it was tough even for us." There was a note of fear in his voice - it was obvious that his friends from Nevarro went through hell and back on this seemingly peaceful planet. After a short break the man in brown armor continued. "This place… It's different from anything I've ever seen. Things that happen here are… Look, it's hard to explain." Suddenly, Paz interrupted, shaking his blaster vigorously. "Some creatures here are immune to all our weapons! Can you imagine?!" His voice had a note of anger to it. "We met this strange ghastly thing on our way here. I tried to shoot at it, but all the blaster shots went right through it, not dealing any harm!" He rested back of his helmet on the cold stone wall behind him, letting out a loud sigh. Hearing such meltdown from Paz Vizla himself made Din question whether this planet is as safe as it originally seemed to be, though the story of a strange ghastly thing was quite unbelievable. He looked away from the armored dark silhouette for a short while, but the second he looked back she was already gone. Shaking his head he returned his attention to Paz and Nobert. "Listen, guys. If those people that took you in managed to survive here we will as well. We're mandalorians." Saying that he smiled reassuringly under the helmet, but even he had some doubts behind this bold statement. During those two months on razor crest Din studied as much about the force as he could find. This planet was soaking with unknown energy, almost feeling like an illusion - even he could detect it, not being normally sensitive to it. He could see that the kid was drawing from it and letting the strange force flow through him, and that put a lot worries on his mind. Yet, the main threat was gone - the empire for sure lost track of them, and the child was safe.

It was starting to get dark as two helmeted women approached them - as it turned out, it was the armorer and the local mandalorian he saw before. Following Nobert's advice he decided not to let his guard down and studied her closely. She wore a very old set of mandalorian armor, probably passed through generations. It most likely used to be blue all those years ago, but time isn't known to be kind to paint. Some parts of her armor still had a thin layer of gold on them - rarely seen phenomena on mandalorian armor. She wore a black cape with a hood resting on her back, and instead of a blaster she carried two old vibroblades and a long pole he couldn't figure the usage of. Most outstanding was her weathered red visor that reflected the flames from the campfire they lit. Finally, the armorer spoke, directly facing him. "Din Djarin. I knew you and your foundling would find a way here. We want to talk to you about something." Hearing that, he quickly grabbed his foundling, excused himself to his companions and followed two figures down into the depths of the stronghold. The corridor was lit up with dim light which source Din couldn't quite place. Walking up the spiral stairs they finally arrived at the forge, all sitting down at one table. The child gazed happily at the strange woman, to which she responded with slightly tilting her head in curiosity. The mandalorian wearing the golden helmet finally broke the silence as her calm voice filled the room.

"Din, I wanted to talk with you about the powers that your foundling possesses. The mandalorians here, they know the ways of the force". The local woman nodded to that, still looking at his foundling. "They're not the jedi, they just adapted their lives to align with it. If you haven't found anything else you could start out here. Nubia could help you train your foundling. She's force sensitive." Saying that, she gestured to the woman sitting next to her. Din thought about it for a second, but the armorer was right. He didn't have anything better, and Nubia is an ally. _Nubia. Haven't heard that name among the mandalorians… It must be something connected to local culture then._ "If you cannot make that decision right now we will talk about it tomorrow. If you wish to of course." Said the armorer, looking directly at Din's visor. "No, there's no need to." - he answered quickly, shaking his head. "I agree, me and my foundling will stay here for as long as he needs to." The armorer was visibly happy with his decision, her shoulders relaxing. "It's settled then. For now you should rest. Tomorrow we'll place your ship inside the stronghold. It's not safe out there at this time."

In the late evening, Din was lying on his cot in section of stronghold given to him - it was a big place and everyone got plenty of room to take off their helmets in. He thought about what Nobert and the armorer told him. About those beasts that even Vizsla felt helpless fighting. About those strange mandalorians who rather resemble shadows than people. Yet, even despite that, looking at his foundling sleeping peacefully, he felt happy. "the empire won't harm you here, little guy." He whispered smiling and finally let himself get proper rest.


	2. Sleepless night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second day of Din's stay in the new covert didn't really go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Apologies for such a long wait, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!

Din has imagined sleepless nights quite a lot (not that he had many if any at all), but not in this way. The first night on this strange, unfamiliar planet he spent constantly being awoken by his child's babbling. Parenthood wasn't as easy as he imagined it to be, after all he's seen it only in superlatives on Nevarro. Mandalorian parents were teaching their foundlings how to fight, defend themselves, use blasters, melee weapons and speak mando'a. One might think - _Oh come on Din,_ _you old bastard, you're almost 30. You should know how to take care of such things._ But, to be fair, he's never seen them take care of children… this small. His green jelly bean for sure knows how to defend itself using his mind-tricks, but that's about it. Din has been in and out of sleep the entire night, listening to his baby's happy cooing… Until it stopped. At first he thought that the kid finally went to sleep, but for some reason he still had a really bad feeling about this. Forcing himself to open his eyes Din turned his head to the side where the child slept, and something was visibly wrong. _There's no baby._ ** _Where's the baby?!_** And as it seems, his gut feeling was right. He quickly picked up the helmet, put it on and tried to scan the area for any footprints. _Oh of course, the technology once again was failing him terribly. Why now?!_ He sighed, and tried focusing his mind on any noises that were coming out of the giant corridor. _Tiny footsteps._ He quickly followed the sounds, but soon found himself lost in a maze of spiraling stairs, doors, platforms, walls…

"Searching for something, _nyesnayomei_?" The sudden sharp voice put him even more on edge. He quickly turned around, but there was no one behind him. "I'm up here." Once again he followed the voice, his visor finding Nubia's red one. She was sitting on the stairs, dressed in linen tunic, tight leggings, leather shoes, gloves and a scarf. At that moment Din realized he's hearing her speak for the first time since their first meeting. He for sure could hear a bit of hissing and rattling in her accent that Paz was talking about earlier, but it was not the time to focus on such details. "My foundling… He wandered off somewhere, I'm trying to find him." Din explained quickly, not hiding the distress in his voice. Nubia tilted her helmet to the side disapprovingly, letting out a small sigh. "You should look over the long eared baby more carefully." _Yeah, her galactic basic is not the best, but hopefully she's a quick learner. -_ He thought, as she stood up and walked down the stairs, focusing on something she saw deep in the dark corridor. Din wasn’t really patient, but those _jetii_ tricks will take a while as it seems. "We have to be quick. The mglav'ki are here." Nubia exclaimed, turning her visor in Din's direction. "The what?! What are you talking about! Did they get my foundling?!" Mandalorian in a shiny helmet almost choked on his own breath, trying to grasp what she just said. Now they both ran through a maze of corridors, trying to find his lost child. After a second Nubia replied, breathing quickly. "No, they did not. They cannot go through _stieny_ of this fortress. But their minds can." Din didn't understand anything of what she was saying. "Why the hell those creatures want my boy?" He asked with a shaky voice, staying just behind Nubia. "Fodder." she answered with just one word. One simple word, yet it almost threw him to his knees. He landed on an unfamiliar planet running from the empire, yet he threw himself into an even bigger pit of problems. 

At some point, corridors started to fill with fog, and he could hear the happy babbles clearly once again. Yet, there was one problem - they were audible from every side at once. Din silently cursed this stronghold’s architect as Nubia focused once again, pointing left with her visor. "He went this way. Follow me." She ran faster than before, and even Din had problems keeping up with her. Finally, they found a way outside, and there he was - a little green child playing in the grass, lit up by dim light of stars above. "We found him!" Din whispered happily and moved forward to get his child back to safety, but a cold forceful hand on his chest suddenly stopped him. "Wait. Do you see the fog? And… who he's playing with?" Nubia asked him quietly, pointing at the child. She was right. The entire place was covered with fog pouring through the wooden gates, and next to the kid were two more children in helmets, yet those were… Seemingly transparent. Din couldn't really believe what his eyes were telling him, but he could even hear the children talking and laughing. "Shit. What the hell is this?" he hissed as his breath pitched up. "I'll take care of it." Nubia said calmly, with a bit of sadness in her voice as she extended her hands in foundling's direction gripping something invisible. The fog started slowly disappearing, and two ghastly figures dissolved along with it. Din quickly ran up to the confused child and grabbed it in his arms.  _ Shh. It's alright. Papa's here, there's nothing to worry about. They're gone now, they won't harm you.  _ His mind was full of memories of imperial ships trying to hunt them, the feeling of being unsafe even in hyperspace.  _ It's alright. We're not being hunted by the empire anymore.  _ After a few minutes Din finally calmed down and turned around to see if Nubia was alright after fighting them off. He expected her waiting in the doorway for them, and prepared himself for a broken speech in a sharp tone about him not being careful enough. Yet surprisingly, she wasn't doing any of that - instead, he found her sitting on the cool ground, both her hands covering her visor as she shivered. "Nubia? Are you alright?" He whispered hesitantly, still holding the kid against his chest. "Y-yes. The monsters won't bother us anymore." Her voice was a lot softer than before, and it was obvious that she let down her guard. Nubia stood up slowly, still holding onto the wall she was leaning on and breathing heavily. Din noted that her voice sounded a bit tearful, but it quickly returned to normal. "Sorry. It takes a lot of energy." She shook her head and turned her visor to face him, as she continued. "We should get going. The nights are cold this season." Din flushed and realized he wasn't wearing much - in fact just his night clothes and the helmet in contradiction to Nubia, who was not exposing even a bit of skin. He simply nodded and they both went back inside the fortress.

In the morning Din was awoken by loud knocking on the door to his room. "Wake up Djarin! We made breakfast!" Paz shouted loudly, bombarding the door with obnoxious banging. Din groaned loudly, rubbing his sleepy eyes. "Maker, will you ever not act like a child, Vizla? I hope you didn't make the breakfast yourself, last time you prepared us a meal it was not looking pretty." Din said, as he started getting ready to leave the room. "Hmph, of course not. You're the housewife in this relationship." Paz laughed as his companion came out of the room with a little green child in his arms, who greeted him with a coo. "What do I owe such warm welcome?" Din asked ironically, walking along Paz through the long corridor. "Oh it's no big deal, figured out you wouldn't really know how to get around the place just yet." He said almost with pride, acting like an older brother - just like all those years back on Nevarro when young Din got introduced to the covert. Him and Paz got the same  _ cabur _ who taught them to fight and defend themselves - and that's when both of them developed a strong bond. Of course, they had their ups and downs - but essentially always remained close and looked out for each other, sometimes taking up guild bounties and going on a hunt together. When the covert got attacked Din was afraid that Paz and his little family didn't pull through, but he and his two foundlings escaped off world quickly enough, settling down on Carlac for a short time. Thinking about the old times always made Din feel better - especially that his mandalorian brother was right next to him. 

"Yesterday night I heard some footsteps from the main hall, and today I see the locals talking about the _ nyesnayomei's _ kid running away. Care to elaborate maybe?" Paz asked, carefully looking in Din's direction. "Oh, that… Uh, we had some trouble with the kid almost getting kidnapped by some fog monsters. No big deal." Din exclaimed ironically, not really believing what he said himself. "You mean mglav'ki, right? The locals call them like that. I call them foglers myself. A few blaster shots take care of them, but the ghastly apparitions they make are a bit more problematic. Speaking of those, what did they show you? I heard that it troubled the locals." Din went silent for a second, thinking about what exactly he had seen. "Two children in helmets. Both appeared to be luring my foundling to the gates." Hearing that, Paz cursed quietly under his breath. "Be glad that you stopped them in time, or your kid would end up like them if you didn't. Foglers use their previous prey as a bait." Both men shivered at the thought of what terrible fate had met the two mandalorian children he had seen the night before. Din and Paz were quiet for a while, silently walking next to each other.

When they finally reached the main hall some local mandalorians stared at them, exchanging modulated whispers. The room was filled with people, yet it was still missing someone - Nubia wasn't there, and Din had some worries on his mind.  _ What if using force makes her exhausted like the kid? _ The thoughts started to corrupt his mind, but Nobert immediately came to the rescue - seeing his friends he quickly approached them and soon they sat by one table, exchanging conversations. "So, uh Paz. You seem like you know the entire bestiary of this world's creatures, huh?" Din laughed as the child wiggled a bit in his arms. "Wow, Mr. Djarin, I'll have you know that I'm doing all this research for a reason! We all have jobs here, you know. I for example learn about the hostile creatures and how to fight them so I can do it effectively. You'll probably get assigned to something today, our alor makes sure everyone has their schedules filled." He sounded a bit tired, but that didn't mean he wasn't enjoying his job - he constantly talked about what unholy creature he just learned about and how to fight it. "What about you Nobert? What's your job?" Din asked curiously, feeding his foundling little snacks that were on the table. "Eh, mine involves more mind strength than muscle power. I have to learn the local language, translate it and teach the other mandalorians from Nevarro." Nobert sighed, visibly being tired just like Paz. He for sure was skilled in working with languages - Din heard he knew almost seven fluently, but it was natural that nearly every mandalorian preferred muscle work. "Well, I'm not complaining though. I'm working with a local mandalorian girl, Jasia. I'm teaching her galactic basic, and she's teaching me their strange whistling language.'' The man in brown armor continued, his voice getting dreamy. "She's a good gal! Already making great progress, we all can understand her clearly." Paz explained, purposefully making Nobert a bit jealous. "Nubia's galactic basic is pretty good as well, but I admit, she has a strong accent to it." Din added casually, but for some reason that sentence shocked both his companions. That was kind of strange to Din - he rarely could surprise them, after all they've seen half of this galaxy with their own eyes. Finally Paz broke the silence, playing with a fork that previously lied on the table. "Sorry for being so silent Djarin, we just never heard her speak at all. She seems very closed and absent on almost every tribe meeting, only talks directly to the alor and the other locals… A mysterious type. We don’t trust her that much." Din shook his head, refusing to believe what they're saying. "No way. She seemed outgoing last night." Hearing that Vizla choked on tea he was drinking, almost swallowing the straw, and Nobert laughed out loud despite desperately trying to hold back. "So you're telling us about some fog monsters huh? You two little lovebirds? Hahaha! Unbelievable, Djarin arrives in the covert and the same day he conquers all the ladies!" The man in brown armor wheezed as Paz struggled to breathe, still choking on his drink. Din instinctively went into defensive mode, forcing out a fake laugh. "Nonono, that's not what I meant! She helped me find my foundling, that's all!" And that was one of those moments he was glad he had his face covered since he was pretty bad at hiding emotions. "Oh we know Din, we know. No lady would go after that shiny helmet of yours." Nobert laughed, banging on Vizsla's backplate in order to help him breathe, but another wave of wheezing mixed with raspy coughs went through the man in blue armor. Suddenly, the whole room went silent, as the armorer walked in. " _ Alor _ is here, stop coughing like that!" Nobert whispered to Vizla and nodded at Din. Everyone's visors were focused on her golden helmet as she stood in the middle of the room and began her speech. "I hope everyone is here and ready to start the new day. I put lists of things that have to be done on everyone's doors, so I really hope you will help us rebuild the covert to its former glory. And for now… enjoy your meals. Make sure to start your tasks as soon as possible." The armorer gestured to a young local girl, (most likely Jasia judging by Nobert's sighs) who quickly translated what  _ alor _ just said. Everyone took plates with food and wandered off into their rooms to eat the breakfast, hopefully starting their day without any trouble. Din has decided to stay for a bit longer, letting his foundling pick some dried fruits and snacks off the table. And he was glad he did, because just as everyone left Nubia snuck into the room. "You're late, why's that?" Din asked, looking curiously at her. Nubia froze, tilting her helmet and meeting visors with the man in a shiny helmet. "Uh, sorry. I thought that everyone left." She said, visibly getting shy around him. He wondered whether he should pressure her into answering or not - after all if not her, he wouldn't find his foundling yesterday. On the other hand though, he had some trust issues that were hard to overcome. "Still not answering my question." He was as polite as he could, hoping he didn't sound suspicious or ungrateful. "I, uh, must have overslept. I don't enjoy socializing anyway." She turned her visor to the table, picking up a plate with food and a cup of warm tea. "It's just seven of us and there's so many of you and all of your new foundlings. I guess... I guess it takes time to get comfortable around that." Hearing that Din nodded, still following Nubia with his visor. He noted to himself that her language skills actually got better since yesterday, which surprised him a little. "Doesn't your tribe have any foundlings?" He asked, to which she replied with a quiet "no". Nubia got silent for a moment, finally finding courage to walk up to Din and sit by the same table. "Yesterday you saw the last two children our tribe had. They've been missing for three years and… Now we know what happened." A wave of sadness flew through Din - it was obvious the local tribe was slowly dying out. "Do their parents or guardians know?" He spoke again, with a note of regret in his voice. He didn't mean to open her old wounds. "I would tell their parents if they were alive. And we don’t have any guardians since the tribe never had foundlings. With the exception of me, though." This shocked Din - on Nevarro children born in the tribe were a rarity. "I am a foundling as well. I'm surprised that you don't have more of us in your covert." Nubia shook her head, letting out a small laugh. "Oh, we have no way to get any. We can’t leave the covert as far to reach any conflicts on this continent. And that's where most of the orphans come from, right?" For a brief second a few scenes from Din's home planet went through his mind. The droids, Death Watch, his parents… He quickly shook it off, trying not to bring back the painful memories. "Y-yeah, I think so." Din replied quickly, being glad that his helmet covered up some of the panic in his eyes. But Nubia saw those scenes as well, sensing them and realizing she triggered his sudden wave of flashbacks. "I- uh- I'll get going. Remember to check the note on your door." She quickly took her plate and left the room, being angry with herself for hurting one of few people from Nevarro she spoke to.

"Move the ship and your belongings, help the local mandalorians with a supply run in a village, train the foundling with Nubia on eastern tower." Din read the message that was left by alor aloud, picked it up and closed the door behind him. While his Dad was busy removing his helmet, the child was nibbling on dried fruits and happily cooing. It's not often he could see his bare face, but he cherished every moment he did. After finishing the food he sat up on Din's lap, yawned and slowly fell asleep. Little moments like this always reminded Mando that running from those imps was worth it.

After parking the ship in a safe area and dealing with a few technical difficulties (to which Din was slowly accommodating) a few local mandalorians helped him carry boxes with his personal belongings to his new, rather big room. It was something that he couldn't get used to - he never had this much space, it's always been a tight bunk on Razor Crest or a small room on Nevarro. Time revealed that those helpful mandalorians were the same ones that Din was going on supply run with, so later that day they all were happily surprised to bump into each other once again. "Silver bucket! Good to see you again!" Shouted a tall, old mandalorian with a raspy voice, happily greeting Din. "Do we have any speeders here? Or are we going on a hike?" Din asked curiously, looking behind two mandalorians. "speeders? We haven't seen those in ages!" One of them answered with a small laugh beneath his helmet. It was obvious that his modulator was starting to break and audibly begged for repairs - thankfully they had an armorer now, and without a doubt she had lots of work to do. "We usually use ogars, nedvets and horses for that." He quickly pointed to odd-looking critters, and although Din heard of horses before, the other creatures must have been native to this planet. "Can't we just use my ship to get there?" He asked, remembering his beginnings of learning how to ride a Blurg. "Sure we can. If you want to give the villagers an heart attack, of course." Second mandalorian commented, getting on top of an ogar. It looked like a really big wolf but with close to no amount of fur. Din has seen those on another planet he visited, but they weren't this big. The nedvet on the other hand was even bigger and resembled some golden statuettes he's seen in little shops on Nevarro. It's long and thick fur was moving with the wind as the creature waited patiently next to the mandalorian with a broken modulator. "Come on, get on that horse and let's go. We're running low on food." The second mandalorian was getting frustrated, rushing his new companion. Din hesitantly got on top of the horse, desperately trying not to fall off, and slowly made his way forward.

The new covert was starting to hide behind the trees as three mandalorians exchanged little conversations. Although the locals still had some troubles with galactic basic, some of them were very talkative - a prime example being Din's new comrades. Between asking him about mandalore (on which Din has never been) and sharing details of what is happening in the covert, the two mandalorians were constantly bugging him about his bounty hunting stories and his foundling. He also learned that their names were Damien and Wyatt, that they're brothers, and for dinner there's gonna be some oatmeals and sandwiches. Moments like these always reminded Din why he disliked siding with extraverts. After a short while of silence (which was a rarity that Din appreciated) Damien sighed and turned to his brother. "We're gonna have to look through the notice board again, maybe there's something to hunt. There's so many of us now, we'll have to travel to other villages for more contracts." He complained, rushing his nedvet so he could keep up with Wyatt. "What do you mean with those contracts?" Din asked, for once being curious about conversation's topic. "Oh, I thought you knew. We're mostly hunting hostile creatures for a living, since most of them are dwelling close to the villages. Just like those mglav'ki that somehow ventured here yesterday." Wyatt answered simply, keeping his visor on the path. Damien nodded and straightened his spine, certainly being proud of what they do. "Remember the first time we hunted a chort, Wyatt? I had to pick you off the ground after that." He joked, looking in his brother's direction, to which Wyatt responded with a small laugh - "That was like 20 years ago, you old man." Damien replied to his brother's words with a sigh, this time sad and nostalgic. "That was when we found Nubia, our first and last foundling." And once again Din found himself interested in the conversation, but his curiosity was interrupted by sounds of children happily playing in the fields right next to them. _ Seems like we have arrived. _

Village was very calm that day - little wooden houses with thatched roofs were blooming with colorful flowers, and the peace was only interrupted by a few merchants shouting something in an unknown language. Din noted that no one living there possessed the same talents as Nubia or his foundling, or at least didn't show them.  _ Should I ask her about it? Maybe it'll help with learning the truth behind kid's powers. Assuming she's been found in this area of course.  _ He thought to himself while looking at purple, ripe fruits on a market stall next to him. When Wyatt and Damien were picking out the supplies and arguing with merchants, Din was carefully observing the villagers' lives. Trading, taking care of animals, picking mushrooms and wild berries. It reminded him of the peaceful times, when his parents used to tell him stories and let him play with the other kids on deserted hills. And although he didn't trust those people, he wished that one day he could live like them - in peace and harmony. 

When three mandalorians finally came back to the fortress the sun was starting to slowly reach its highest point on the sky. And once again, Din was welcomed by Paz Vizla himself who was holding his little green foundling. "You know what Djarin, I take back what I said about you being the housewife. This kid is the most adorable baby we've had here! Don't tell that to my foundlings by the way." Saying that, he handed the little guy back to Din who just jumped off the horse. "Oh really? That's a rarity seeing him behave." He chuckled and squeezed the child against his chest in a warm gesture of affection.

In the evening eastern tower was the only place that wasn't shimmered by those odd dim lights Din saw the night before. The child didn't mind the darkness though, and quickly climbed upstairs right next to his mandalorian father. 

Hearing the footsteps outside, Nubia opened the door and was instantly blinded by Din's flashlight. "You mind… Turning that off?" She pulled away a bit, sliding a gloved hand under the helmet to rub her eyes. Din instantly obliged, but her room wasn't very different from the staircase leading to it - only a few candles were lighting it up, slowly flickering and giving the mandalorians an odd sense of warmth. He looked around the place, seeing shelves full of books, old scraps of metal that used to be a ship decades ago and a glimpse of some drawings depicting humanoid-like creatures. "I see you're a traditionalist when it comes to interior design." Din said, still looking around curiously. "I guess you could say that." She chuckled, pointing at a chair for him to sit on. Soon after that the first lesson began, and the kid became very interested in whatever Nubia was telling him. Din realized he didn't see him having the same connection with anyone, not even Paz - despite just meeting that strange woman.  _ Must be that force-magic-thing. I'm way too old for this. _ He thought, resting his head on the back of the chair and finally relaxing after an exhausting day of work. But not for long, as it seemed, because soon after that a little metal ball hit his helmet with a loud noise. Opening his eyes he saw the child balancing some objects in the air, just like he did with the mudhorn - and right next to him Nubia, explaining how throwing things at people is not nice. Although his still fresh head injuries were starting to take their tool again, Din couldn't help but smile beneath the helmet. His foundling was making quick progress and that was what mattered.

First day of training the kid with Nubia went pretty well, considering that his foundling liked to choose his own way around many things. His next few days in the covert weren't so different - only that Damien and Wyatt insisted on making him a hunter just like them, and denying old, experienced mandalorians would be considered disrespectful. Who knows, maybe this routine would have continued for a long time, if one day Din didn't find out Nubia might not be someone he thought she was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little dictionary of mando'a and their local language!
> 
> nyesnayomei - unknown, stranger  
> stieny - walls
> 
> mglav'ki - foglers (hostile creatures native to that planet)  
> alor - chief, boss, leader  
> cabur - guardian


	3. What lies beneath the armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Din gives in to his doubts and discovers something he shouldn't have seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the wait, I worked pretty hard on this chapter so I hope you enjoy!

It has been a month since Din has decided to stay in the new covert. It turned out that only his ship landed there remotely safely, since the people of Nevarro ended up crashing just like the local mandalorians all those years ago. First the armorer, who followed a family legend of a mandalorian ship mysteriously disappearing in this area, according to which a member of her clan was onboard the ship. After crashing, she managed to send out a weak signal to the other mandalorians who followed her steps. As expected, no ship made it in one part after the crash, leaving all survivors on their own until they found the fortress. Their ships being total wrecks didn't discourage Nubia from constantly traveling to the crash sites and taking parts out to study them. She would either go herself or take Din along, since Damien and Wyatt whom she trusted the most were getting too old for such things. They were from a different generation as well - with only sheer will for survival, and anything besides that was foolish and pointless for them. That didn't mean they weren't supporting Nubia, it was quite the opposite - every local mandalorian dreamed about going back to the planet of their ancestors, and the only way was to shut down this planet’s ““defenses””. Still, whenever Nubia was going on a trip beyond their safe valley nobody was really happy with it. Too much danger, the risk of getting discovered… The armorer also shared this opinion with local elders, but that didn't stop Nubia from at least investigating the wrecks. 

That day was very sunny, with a dose of a chilling breeze in the air. From the very morning Nubia was bugging Din about going on a trip to see some specific shipwreck, saying that alor won't allow her to go to the site alone. She didn't have to convince him - he was on board with the idea from the beginning, as always when she asked him to accompany her on those investigations. The only one problem was the fact that Din was going on his first hunt just after breakfast - it was a bit of a problem, but they ultimately settled on going just after he would come back.

Din was very excited about his first hunt. It reminded him of taking up his first bounty in the guild, shortly after swearing the creed. Paz was going along with him, and it was supposed to be their ultimate exam - whether they were ready to take up those hunting contracts, or still needed training. It was something both mandalorians treated as a very important matter - maybe it was because of the nostalgia of their early training on Nevarro? 

After breakfast Wyatt prepared weapons and mounts for them, still not telling them precisely what creature they will have to fight. He only mentioned that he already taught them about it, and they should know exactly what to do. During his stay Din learned a lot - not just about the creatures he had to fight, but also how to perfectly ride horses. He even raced Paz countless times, and all mandalorians loved to watch them compete. But this day wasn't suitable for racing - they had to be focused, calm and ready for any obstacle. Their trip was very silent as well, up until they reached their destination - a lone watchtower, used by a local village years ago. Now it has been seemingly abandoned, but only by humans, as they saw a big nest on its roof. 

"Harpies." Din murmured to himself while getting his blaster ready. It was easiest to fight them using long range weapons, and when they got close, vibroblades. To make harpies leave the nest they had to use firecrackers, and Paz clearly remembered that from their training, igniting one and throwing it on top of the watchtower. And it took immediate effect, proven by loud screech hitting their ears.

The hunt was short - it required knowledge, quick reflexes and good aim, all of which Din possessed. After getting reward for getting rid of the creatures, all men finally let themselves relax on their way back to the fortress. Din wasn't much of a talker, but tried to keep up with the conversation that Paz and Wyatt were having. The day was only beginning and he was already tired.

_ I'm really getting old. As it seems, bounty hunting ages you quickly.  _ He let out a sigh, trying to focus on his next task - searching for the crucial shipwreck that Nubia was so excited about.  _ No matter how hard I try she rarely opens up to me. I really don’t know what I’m doing wrong.  _ And that was true - there was no denying that Din was interested in Nubia, but she rarely showed him anything in return, rather teasing him and leading him on playfully. Such interest in someone was very out of character for him, since he always seemed withdrawn and hesitant, only focusing on his job. Because of that he never really had a true love interest, and sure, Xi'an tried to pressure him into something years ago, but nothing ever worked between them. Din always wanted someone he could share values with, who would understand where he’s coming from, instead of wanting him to get rid of the creed or finding loopholes in it. And now that he finally found someone he's genuinely interested in, she's pushing him away. Even Paz had to remind him a few times not to pressure himself so hard and that it will go naturally in time, but Din wasn't the patient type. Especially that he had barely any experience in the relationship department, and it was really showing. Not that Nubia was more skilled than him, it was quite the opposite - one time she confessed she's never really been in love. Everything combined puts them both in an awkward, uncomfortable phase, which they should be long done with.

As soon as three mandalorians arrived back in the stronghold, Din visited his foundling who was playing with the other children, and then climbed up the eastern tower. It has always been very quiet and almost abandoned - only Nubia decided to live there, while the rest of the covert preferred cozy rooms inside the main part of the fortress. She didn't mind it and sometimes actually preferred being alone. Everyday she studied various arts and scripts left by previous generations of mandalorians, slowly learning more and more about their origin on this planet. Thanks to this research she finally tracked down the ship that was described in the oldest script she found. That built up hope of other mandalorians - maybe this was the key to leave the planet and come back on mandalore? But even when she was so close to solving the mystery behind the malfunctions that they faced for decades, she still wasn't feeling happy. Truth be told, nobody knows what's the key to happiness and success, but Nubia definitely felt like she was doing something wrong. Everytime she accomplished something it didn't feel right yet, it was never enough.  _ When I find out what's causing it all, it for sure will make sense. -  _ She was telling herself ever since starting this project, but after all this time even she herself didn't believe it.

That day wasn't different from the rest, and after finishing her job Nubia sat on her bed and began to read another page of an old, almost burnt diary. Before the mandalorians from Nevarro found their way to the fortress she already had problems with socializing - nobody really knew why, it just stuck with her throughout her childhood and as it seems adulthood as well. Now it was even worse, and if not for Damien's constant pleading she wouldn't attend any group meetings at all. Aside from their alor, the first mandalorian from Nevarro she voluntarily spoke to was Din. That ill-fated night when his foundling got almost abducted, she could sense his panic even through the walls - it was a great worry, specifically about an heir, and it was something she hasn't felt since her own early childhood.

Suddenly, loud knocking brought her back to her senses. She quickly pulled her weathered, old helmet back on and shouted "come in!", while closing the book she was just reading and putting it back on the shelf. The door opened with a loud creak, revealing Din with a brand new scratch on his helmet, just below his visor. 

"I suppose the first hunt went well, hm?" She said teasingly, walking up to him and studying his new trophy. "Harpy's claw, without a doubt. It's even in the same place as mine, but my helmet got squished by Fiend's tail instead." She said jokingly, raising her hand to brush over the scar that pierced his beskar helmet. Suddenly she froze, trying to pull her hand away, but Din suddenly caught her wrist. 

"You're hurt." He said simply, looking at her red fingers. She turned a bit hostile, breaking her wrist free and hiding it behind her back. 

"I'll- fix it later. I must have stained it or something." Nubia said quietly, pulling the missing glove on her hand. Upon realizing he stomped on a very delicate ground, he decided not to pressure her about it, but that didn't mean he forgot about what he saw. What bothered him the most was the fact that his visor didn't detect any injury on her hands - he thought it was blood, but it didn't leave any stains on his helmet. Is she sick? Is it why she's distancing herself? Is it contagious? Maybe the broken technology didn't detect the injury? For now he decided to shake the worries off, but he promised himself to bring it up again sooner or later.

"Still working on that project of yours?" He asked curiously, pointing at new metal scraps she brought into her room.

"Yes. I feel like I'm two steps from finishing it, soon I'll try to actually locate the thing that is causing all the malfunctions, once we get a hold of whatever is in the old shipwreck." She sounded ambitious yet a bit unsettled, still with a little dose of smile beneath her helmet. She was tightly gripping the hand that she just put a glove on.

"I still don't understand, why don't we just go off world using Razor Crest?" Din asked, leaning against the wall and tilting his helmet. “I recently gave it some repairs.” Nubia shook her head and let out a disappointed sigh.

"I've told you numerous times, dummy. You managed to land without crashing only because you are a good pilot, and power of that thing significantly decreased in the last few years. It's time to finally shut it down. Besides, why do you think you had to give the Crest some repairs? This planet is deadly to ships." She exclaimed, talking to him like to a child.

"Okay, I get it, I get it." Din put his hands up in a sign of surrender, to which she replied with warm laughter. It was a little muffled, since the modulator in her helmet was broken - still, her rich voice was mostly audible through a large crack that was left on her helmet. "You mentioned your scar on the helmet being left by a fiend?" Din asked, tilting his visor in her direction. 

"Oh, yeah. I'm not much of a fighter." She shrugged, sitting on her bed and placing two vibroblades on her belt. "Wyatt insisted on making me a huntress, after discovering my, uh, gift. But it didn't work out as you can see. That was my first and last job, but I still can't get my helmet repaired." That surprised him a bit. 

"But there's an armorer in the covert. Why can't you get it fixed?" Nubia let out a gentle laugh, shaking her head. 

"It's some odd tradition that we have. You cannot change nor repair your armor until you're ready to begin a new journey. Like, a new chapter in life. Of course, there are exceptions, but you get the point." Din tilted his visor, not really understanding it. 

"And when does that happen?" He asked, handing her a long staff she usually wore on her back. She opened the door and walked out of the room alongside Din, closing it behind them. 

"Everyone has a different story. I don’t know, I've seen other mandalorians do that when they come of age, get married, start a family, find a new way in life, or something like that. I'd love to change mine after I turn off whatever is causing the ships to crash into this planet."

Din couldn't help but think about what he had seen, and he's pretty sure it wasn't a stain nor a sickness - the red marks were natural-looking, dissolving into her pale skin with regular gradients. He really couldn't explain why she was so secretive about it. Was it something harmful?  _ Admit it, you let your guard down. She could potentially harm the child, and you decided to just stay behind and not confront her about it, while she is actively hiding everything from you. You're foolish Djarin and you never learn.  _ \- Din's conscience wouldn't stop reminding him about the whole incident.  _ It's alright. Maybe it's just some sickness.  _ If he was supposed to trust her with the kid, he has to know everything.

"Din? Are you okay? You have been silent throughout the entire trip." Nubia rushed her horse, keeping up with her companion.

"I'm not very good at talking I guess." He answered honestly, trying not to reveal any doubts he had. Nubia shrugged, keeping her eyes on the path.

"The trip will last an hour or so, so you might as well try." She suggested, switching her attention to the lake they were passing by.

"Don't worry about it." Din sighed, also looking at the lake. "It's very beautiful here." Nubia agreed, slowing down a bit.

"I used to play here a lot with younger kids before I swore the creed, before things were different." She smiled beneath her helmet, breathing in fresh air. "It smells very nice here. It's a pity your helmet filters out everything."

"You get used to it, I guess. It's for the best." Din looked away, rushing his horse.

"This is the way. I guess _._ " Nubia whispered to herself while trying to get as much sight of the lake as she could.

Part of the trip went in complete silence, only interrupted by howling of the wind and singing of little birds on treetops. Suddenly, Din decided to speak up, interrupting sounds of nature.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go on." She answered quickly, glad that awkward silence finally got to him.

"Damien and Wyatt mentioned something about finding you in chort's lair. Can you elaborate on that?" He tilted his helmet to look in Nubia's red visor, trying to spot her eyes.

"Hm, that's an… old story. But I suppose we have time." Nubia began, with an odd feeling in her voice that Din didn't really understand. "They got a contract for that monster, hunted it and found me in its lair. Along with the corpses of my supposed parents."

"I'm sorry." Din said shortly, but Nubia knew he meant it.

"It's okay, I don't remember anything from that time, except some feelings I sensed with the force." She added, rushing her horse to match Din's pace.

"What about the force? Is it something you learned?" He asked curiously, changing the subject. Nubia chuckled, not hiding the amusement about his question. 

"No, it's not really something you can learn. It's rather something you're born with, but you can learn how to use it effectively." Nubia explained, trying to remember what she read about the force from various scripts. "I've heard it's because of cells in our organisms called midichlorians or something like that. The more you have them, the better you are at using the force, so I'm guessing your foundling has a lot of them. He's very special, and I'm not sure if I can teach him a lot since I'm self-taught as well. Someday you might need to find another teacher." Din nodded, thinking he finally understood what the empire wanted his foundling for - according to what she was saying, he had a lot of potential in force usage. He shivered thinking about what they could do to him.

"Nubia, do you think we really should open up this planet? Imps will look for him everywhere, and once this place is available to foreign forces my foundling will be easy prey." Din wasn't hiding the worry in his voice - as long as landing safely on this planet was a mystery, they were safe. But Nubia didn't share his opinion.

"Nonsense. Almost nobody knows the trail to this planet, and even if they do, no one dares to even come close to its atmosphere. As far as I know it's not even marked on many maps, or just signed as a dangerous area." She hesitated a bit before continuing, which caught Din's attention. "Look. All I want is for my people to come back on Mandalore, to finally leave this planet. I'm aware that secrecy is the key to our survival, but I don't want them to live like this. They want freedom."

"Nubia, but what do  _ you _ want? For yourself?" He asked precisely, but she didn't know how to answer him. Thousands of things went through her mind -  _ I want happiness. I want a true home. I want to find others like me. I want to feel accomplished. I want to mean something, to feel something true. I want to start my new journey.  _ But she didn't say anything, and Din's suspicions grew stronger.

Finally, they arrived at the place where the shipwreck was supposed to be. Nubia didn't hide her excitement upon seeing a giant, rusty cruiser, which after decades became a part of the ecosystem.

"It’s… wow! It’s so beautiful! Now we just have to find the entrance to it…" She squeaked happily, walking around and trying to sense a way in using the force, but Din suddenly stopped her and gestured on the ground.

"It's a lair. Something lives here, look at the tracks." He commented shortly, stil with a bit of coldness in his voice.

"You're right. Sorry, I let my guard down, it's just very exciting." Din shivered under his armor hearing her say that.  _ Oh I know something about letting my guard down.  _ He thought, crouching to study lots of little tracks that were imprinted on the ground. "Those must be nekeri, they all live in nests together. This ship would be ideal for them, I just hope they didn't destroy crucial parts we need." She commented as Din shook his head standing up.

"I'm sure they're still here. It's a prisoner transport ship, I've seen those before. Everything has to be secured and enchambered." Nubia didn't believe what she just heard - a prison ship? That would explain nobody searching for it, but it still seemed surreal to her.

"Are you suggesting that the people here are… sons and daughters of criminals?"

"They may be the descending from soldiers that flew this ship as well. We'll find out once we get a hold of things inside this ship, but try not to get distracted this time." Nubia nodded, getting a hold of the staff that she kept on her back. Din ignited a makeshift bomb and threw it into the entrance. Right after that, both mandalorians could hear loud squealing and screeching, proving the effects of the weapon. Still, a few of the nekeri survived and went straight in their way, attacking them both at the same time. Din parried the attacks and shot through little creatures with his blaster. They had sharp claws and attacked in large groups, but compared to every other hostile species, Din considered them the easiest to fight. Nubia unfortunately didn't share his opinion and had trouble fighting back, as Din heard her suddenly squeal in pain. He turned his helmet to face her and quickly sent a vibroblade straight through a nekeri's skull that’s been attacking her. The creature slowly fell on the ground as Din saw a glimpse of her eyes under the red visor. Deep down he knew he wasn't supposed to, but for a second he wished he could stare at them for eternity. Nubia breathed quickly, holding steady her injured thigh. Her eyes were wide with terror.

"What did I tell you about being careful?" He sighed, leaning over to her side and beginning to patch up the fresh wound. She resisted at first, hiding the injury from Din and asking him to pass her the bandage, but he was way more stubborn, so in the end Nubia had to give up and let him take care of the wound. 

"I told you I'm not much of a fighter, Din." He paused for a moment and looked at her again. He liked when she called him by his name, instead of the regular  _ Nyesnayomei _ , as she referred to nearly everyone from Nevarro. It wasn't a good moment for sentiments though - Nubia was bleeding and they still had a job to do. As he was applying a band-aid on her thigh, he saw a bit of her skin next to the wound. It was unnaturally white, seemingly bleached, but with no signs of red spots like on her fingers. Din shivered and quickly covered it up with the bandage, hoping she didn't sense anything suspicious from him.

"I have a few bacta shots back on my ship. When we get back I'll give you one. It should do its job with your injured leg." Nubia tilted her helmet with childish curiosity. 

"What's bacta? Are you going to shoot me with it?" But Din only replied to it with a tired groan as he helped her get up. 

Inside the ship they found many open cells with no remains in them, which confirmed Nubia’s worries. Some of the cells still had information about each prisoner written on the doors. Nubia read some of them aloud with clear sadness in her voice.

"So many of them were… terrorists? I can recognize a few surnames. It's hard to believe this is actually true." She whispered almost to herself, but Din picked up on the topic. 

"Does the name  _ Death Watch _ pop up anywhere?" He asked, still with a solid grip on his blaster as he was walking through the long corridors. 

"No. I think it was before Death Watch, those organizations might have been something like… A prototype for it." Din nodded as they continued searching.

"I was taken in as a foundling by them." He whispered, moving along the cells. 

"Huh. I mean, you have the attitude of someone from a terrorist organization, if I ever met anyone like that." Nubia murmured with some mischief in her voice.

"I really should say something mean right now, but I won't." He teased, hiding a little grin behind his helmet. He immediately tensed after that though, remembering that she's still hiding something from him and he has to be cautious. "Besides, what attitude do you have in mind?" 

"Hm… You don't really choose diplomatic ways of resolving conflicts. And you don't really know how to be gentle, nor patient. But I know you're working on it." Her helmet's broken modulator was still picking some noises and occasionally sending static through Din's ears, but he's grown accustomed to it. It is what it is, but she's mostly audible. This time her helmet made no cracks, and Din clearly understood the message. He for sure did not expect a specific analysis, hell, he didn't expect Nubia to pay attention to such details. "I think I found the door to that steering room, is it this one?" Nubia pointed at it and they both went in its direction. 

"I try to work on it for the foundling's sake. I know he's looking up to me." He said shortly, not being entirely honest - sure, he's been growing more gentle towards his son, but the person who provoked most of the changes was her. He became more talkative, more open, and the concept of her keeping something important away from him was slowly but surely shattering his image of Nubia he had in mind. 

They slowly approached the door and Din easily opened it. It surprised them both, especially that they didn't spot any remains in this room either.

"Do you think they joined forces here? Got to live as one tribe?" Nubia asked quietly, looking at Din with her red visor. 

"Hopefully we'll find out." Din started looking through the room, and after a short while found a little puck with a recorded message. "This might be worth a shot..." He placed the little object on a table in the middle of the room and attempted to play it. A very old, glitchy recording appeared, depicting a face of an unhelmeted soldier and a few of his companions. 

_ "Day 2 on the undiscovered planet. Surviving prisoners escaped. Catching them will be impossible without tracking fobs. Most of our technology is facing serious malfunctions, the source of which is still unknown." _

_ "Day 3. With remains of our technology we made tracking fobs and located the source of malfunctions along with the force that pulled us into this planet's atmosphere. We will travel there to shut it down and fly back on Mandalore." _

_ "Day 4. We're taking off. Getting there will take us around two weeks on foot. Our ships cannot rise into the sky." _

The message cuts there. Din passed the Puck to Nubia, looked around once again for any clues, but seeing nothing he left the room. But it wasn't enough for Nubia - she looked once again and saw a little note that depicted a small, hand-drawn version of the map the soldier was talking about. Nubia felt happy with what they found, finally being just a step away from the discovery of the mysterious force that pulled ships in and crashed them into the surface. 

Their trip back to the fortress was very silent. None of them spoke up even once - Nubia was too busy gazing at the lake and wildlife around it, and Din was too busy succumbing into his doubts and worries. Nubia knew something was very wrong with him. He was cold and not very talkative - of course, they exchanged a few conversations earlier, but normally he wouldn't shut up for even a second. He wasn't like that to other people, being rather timid and secretive.  _ What could trigger this behavior in him?  _ She wondered, trying to recall what might have happened earlier in the day.  _ Was it the wound? No, he became timid even before that. Right. The glove. I forgot to put it on after finishing reading the book.  _ Nubia cursed herself silently, thinking about an explanation she'll have to give him. He's not dumb and won't fall for her fingers being stained.  _ I should tell the truth.  _ But she couldn't. Only Damien could see her since he was her buir, and always reminded her not to show herself to anybody, not even mention her looks. And she never did, certainly not planning to do so anytime soon.  _ I'll have to ask Damien about this tomorrow. Knowing Din he will try to confront me about it sooner or later, and it might not be pretty.  _

In the evening Nubia heard loud knocking on her door while analyzing the recorded message. 

"Come in!" She shouted, her eyes not leaving the puck. The door slowly opened, revealing Din's shining helmet. 

"I've brought you a bacta shot." He said quietly, forgetting to close the door behind him. "Sit on the bed, it's gonna hurt a little. Plus, we need to talk." Din added, looking directly at her. Nubia shivered, but sat on the bed and removed the band-aid from her thigh. He looked almost frightening in the dim light of candles as he sat up next to her. Din carefully prepared the syringe, made sure there were no air bubbles inside and applied her the shot, to which Nubia responded with a quiet hiss. "You might feel a little dizzy but it will go away with time. Now I'd like to ask you something." Nubia already knew what he's gonna ask her, but deep down she knew she still wasn't ready to answer his questions. All things that she prepared to say didn't matter now - Nubia trusted him and wanted to tell the truth, no matter how he'd react. She just simply nodded, looking at his visor patiently. “It’s about your hands. I know you’re hiding something from me.” She couldn’t detect any emotions in his voice. He was cold and timid. She swallowed quickly, letting out a sigh. No matter how hard she wanted to be honest, Damien's words from all those years ago still lingered in her memory. _Nubia, you can't show yourself to anyone._

“Din, it’s not… something we should be talking about. Creed forbids it.” She said softly, but he shook his head, towering over Nubia.

“I’m not asking to see your face, all I want to know is whether you’re sick or not. I don’t want you to hurt my son.” He pressured her, his voice getting more and more aggressive with each word.

“I would never hurt him! I’m not sick!” Nubia got defensive in an instant, feeling the bacta shot overshadow her actual thoughts and feelings. 

“Then what are those red marks on your hands?! I could see that they weren’t stains! None of the villagers have the same marks as you, I just want to understand what’s going on! What are you hiding from me?” He grabbed her arms gently and shook her, desperately searching for her eyes that he'd seen beneath the helmet. Just as her vision was starting to get blurry, Nubia tried to push him off using the force, but her attacks were starting to become weaker and weaker. 

“Leave me alone!” She screamed, grabbing a book that was lying next to her and hitting his helmet as hard as she could. He let her go and backed away slightly, still grabbing her wrists. She squealed in pain, trying to pull away

“Stop it Nubia, you’re gonna hurt yourself!” He shouted at her, but despite the bacta taking quick effects on her brain she still tried throwing attacks on him. Nubia wiggled one of her arms out of his grasp and quickly grabbed one of her vibroblades, but Din instantly parried it with his own blade. “Stop this right now!” He shouted again, but it was way too late to stop for Nubia. She suddenly was filled with rage and anger, not knowing the source of which herself. Din didn't expect the medication to hit her so hard, hell, even change her behavior, but he had no time to think about the cause - Nubia was charging at him with both her vibroblades and aiming for his neck. Her moves vere sloppy but very aggresive, and Din had to defend himself while not hurting her in the process. Both of them fought without even a bit of rest - Nubia aggressively storming at him, Din parrying the attacks and trying to trap her in a corner. Finally, the bacta shot was too much for her to handle, as she made a few crucial mistakes that Din took advantage of. He quickly wiggled one of the blades out of her hand and threw it behind, and as she striked at him with the second one he grabbed her palm and tried getting a hold of the remaining vibroblade. Her grip was very strong, and as was she fighting for her only weapon, Din forcefully grabbed it out of her grasp and removed her glove along with it. She choked on her breath as Din threw her half conscious body on the bed and pressed her against its frame, holding the blade facing the crack in her helmet.

“Please don’t do this.” She pleaded as her anger was slowly fading away, getting replaced with fear and panic.

“Don’t make me.” Din growled, pressing the blade onto her even harder. Nubia was breathing quickly as she lifted her chin up, accidentally touching helmets with him. It distracted Din enough to not notice her trying to grab the vibroblade with the force, but after a second he felt her attempts and pushed it deeper into the crack. “Tell me now, what is wrong with your skin, or I'll turn the blade on.” It sent another wave of distress through Nubia. She finally started to get sober from the bacta dose, realizing what she has done. There was no easy way out - now she was under attack, and she had to do everything in her power not to let him remove her helmet. Ultimately she made a tough decision to use all the power she had in her body to jerk out of his grasp, still trying to get a hold of the blade. “Let go, Nubia!” Din shouted, but it was too late. Under the pressure from both of them the vibroblade turned on, shattering the helmet and splitting it in two pieces. Next thing Din remembered was her terrified, red eyes starting to fill with tears and anger, a loud scream that hit his ears, invisible force gripping his neck, choking him, and pushing him down the stairs. _She's not human._ \- He thought, before passing out on the staircase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any feedback on the story make sure to share it in the comments, I read and reply to every each one :D

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the story! There's for sure more to come, and I'll try to draw a cover for each chapter or at least most of them. Leave any suggestions you might have in the comments, I promise i'll read every each of them and reply :D


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